In a stored-energy mechanism described in the brochure "SF.sub.6 Outdoor Circuit Breakers from 72.5 to 420 kV" of the Sprecher & Schuh company, which can be used both for individual circuit-breaker poles and for three-pole circuit breakers, the drive shaft is arranged outside the insulating gas chamber in a separate drive housing, which also contains the closing spring and the corresponding drive elements. A knuckle joint system with corresponding traction rods is provided for coupling the drive shaft to the circuit breaker, with the shaft of the knuckle joint traversing the wall of the carrier block in a gas-tight manner.